Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of British Gas parent company Centrica, said consumers stood to benefit and it tended to be “low income high consuming families that take advantage of this, which is socially progressive not regressive”.

Of course, while aimed at improving the grid's energy efficiency, it may drive some consumer behaviour which encourages energy waste.

For frugally-minded British Gas customers, we offer 10 suggestions for how you could take advantage:

1. Get ahead with the cooking

Ovens are expensive to run; microwaves are very cheap. So take advantage of free electricity on Saturdays to cook most of the week's meals and then reheat them. Cook at least two caseroles, put in a a roast and boil a ham in an oven pot.

Usual costs: A typical oven devours 30p an hour while an electric hob uses around 18p an hour (a microwave uses around 8p an hour but can cook or reheat in minutes)

2. Turn off the gas boiler and turn on the immersion

The energy saver would never normally dream of doing this as a gas boiler is a far cheaper way to heat water, but when electricity is free, it's a no-brainer for households.

Usual costs: In a typical home, 10pc of the bill is usually made up of heating hot water so this is probably the biggest saving you can make from our list. You shouldn't need to turn the gas boiler back on until Sunday night or even Monday morning.

3. Build up the clothes washing

Washing is another major energy drain among appliances so save up as many loads as you can. Drying is even more expensive, you'd have to move your pattern so you only use the energy-guzzling tumble drier on a Saturday.

Usual costs: A washing machine load typically costs 13p while a tumble drier is around 40p. Four loads of each on a Saturday will save a family more than £2.

4. Save the ironing

If you get through the washing in time, you can also cut the cost of ironing. Make the chore just a bore and not a financial drain.

Usual costs: The iron costs around 20p an hour.

5. Fill the dishwasher and the sink

Building up your washing up may be a little too unsanitary for most of us but for the super scrimpers there are savings to be made.

Usual costs: It's around 12p for each dishwasher load.

6. Cut the lawn and the hedges

A lawnmower costs around 10p an hour and a hedgetrimmer is slighty less. Another way to trim a little cost off your annual bill is to time your garden electricity use for a Saturday.

7. Charge computers and mobile phones

The cost of this is tiny, but hey, why should you pay when British Gas is offering to?

Usual costs: According to energy use specialist OPower, it costs 25p a year to charge an iPhone 5 or 32p for a Samsung Galaxy.

8. Charge your electric car

Ok, most of us are clinging on to our carbon guzzlers, but electric cars, we're told, are the future. If you have one, you'd definitely be wise to save the charging until Saturdays, and the savings are large enough to justify charging your neighbours, those who are non-British Gas customers.

Usual costs: According to thechargingpoint.com the costs vary from around £1 to £3.40 for a typical charge .

9. Do the Hoovering

By this stage, you may have had enough of the new chore-packed Saturday regime but there's still savings to be made.

Usual costs: A typical vacuum cleaner costs around 13p an hour to run.

10. Have a hot bath

It's been an exhausting day - treat yourself with a long soak in your immersion-heated water. And make sure you leave enough time for the water to heat up again by midnight.

Usual costs: Estimates vary wildly on gas-heated bath water, with figures quoted on anything from 20p to £1. Much depends on the temperature and the depth of the bath but also the type of boiler.

Of course, there's plenty more you could do if this free electricity plan is realised. You could consider buying electric heaters, if only for Saturday heating in the winter. You may even have a novel idea for a home-based business with high electricity use. We eagerly await reading your suggestions in the comments below.

One final point: if you have never switched from British Gas or haven't moved supplier in several years, you can make substantial savings by taking your custom elsewhere. Enter your postcode below to find out more.